About PETTT

The Program for Educational Transformation through Technology (PETTT) was established in 2000 as a University Initiative at the University of Washington. Our mission is to make it easier for educators to use technology to transform the ways in which teachers teach and learners learn, and to disseminate this knowledge locally and nationally.

PETTT's vision is to evaluate the interplay of technology and pedagogy in real settings in order to promote a strong connection between research and the design and use of educational technology.

Specifically, PETTT aims to catalyze the transformation of education by:

1. Conducting research on how modern technology can be used to help teachers teach and learners learn more effectively; and
2. Promoting effective educational uses of technology at the University of Washington.

Our framework addresses the coupled goals of research and educational enhancement, while recognizing the important elements of diffusing innovation. Our framework is based on three key elements:

1. Research: Conduct research in the context of exemplar projects.
2. Dissemination: Promote educational enhancement by using continuous and diverse approaches to disseminating knowledge about using technology for teaching and learning.
3. Continuous evaluation: Continually evaluate our program to ensure that it plays a role in catalyzing the transformation of education through the effective use of technology.

In our research, we look at issues related to both teachers and learners, including the science of learning, technology adoption by educators and learners, technology-mediated assessment practices, and interface design and design methodology. Our ultimate goal is to draw on commonalities across projects in order to generalize our knowledge so that it can be disseminated in a way that is relevant to a spectrum of educators.

We hope that this overview of PETTT gives you an idea of our interests and goals. For a more detailed account of PETTT's activities, please see our Annual Reports or our Proposal.

Please feel free to write or email us (pettt@u.washington.edu) with questions or suggestions.